Friday, July 06, 2007

Ruling on jailed opposition leader delayed until July 31

A final court ruling on the status of imprisoned Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour will not be handed down until July 31, according to the latest edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

Nour, the leading challenger in Egypt’s 2005 presidential elections, has been in jail since December of that year on charges that are widely regarded as politically motivated.

Nour’s lawyers are attempting to secure his release on medical grounds. He suffers from a variety of ailments, including diabetes, heart problems and hypertension, which they allege have grown worse during his detention.

Egypt’s Administrative Court has linked the Nour case with the case of another prisoner seeking release on account of his medical condition – a development which has delayed a ruling. The official report on the other prisoner has been delayed and it is unclear when it will become available. Still, the court asserts that both cases should be heard in tandem.